• General Notes

  Ruled West Saxons, 560-92 or 571 (or 581)-88.
  
  With Ceawlin, the third named king of Wessex, we reach firmer historical ground. There is more support for his reign than for those of his predecessors cynric or cerdic, though the problem over dates remains. According to the ASC he succeeded to the kingdom in 560 and reigned for 32 years. However the West Saxon regnal list only affords him seventeen (or seven) years (versions vary). Since the ASC gave an equally lengthy reign to Cynric, this is suggestive either of other forgotten kings, with the reigns of the known kings extended to fill the gaps, or of prolongation of reigns to establish a more ancient pedigree, something later Wessex annalists were likely to desire once Wessex became the primary power. He may already have ruled jointly with his father for part of his reign, especially if his father lived into his sixties. This overlap would explain the discrepancy of the two long reigns and allow us to reduce Ceawlin's solo reign to a more credible period.
  
  Ceawlin's reign includes a catalogue of battles. He is recorded as fighting with his father at the battle of Beranburh in 556 (which may adjust to 575). In 568 (or 583) he teamed up with fellow Saxon cutha to fight on a united front against athelbert, the new king of Kent, who was expanding his frontiers, which suggests that Ceawlin was stretching his own borders to the east. His other battles, especially at Dyrham, in 577 (this date may be accurate) were to the west and consolidated his kingdom around Wiltshire and Somerset. Dyrham was a decisive battle where Ceawlin defeated the British kings of Gloucester, Cirencester and Bath and (presumably) took over their land (see coinmail, farinmail and condidan). These towns took several generations to recover from the battle. Bede lists Ceawlin as the second Saxon bretwalda, a form of high king, following the death of aelle. In these early years the title is meaningless, but if it was conferred by any general agreement it probably came as a result of this victory, which allowed Ceawlin to establish a fixed West Saxon kingdom as distinct from his roving war-band.
  
  Events went poorly for Ceawlin thereafter. Although he won another victory over the British at Fethanlea in 584, it was not without cost, and his ally Cutha was slain. Fethanlea is usually placed in Oxfordshire, but there was another decisive battle against the British near Tintern on the Wye which both sides identified as a victory (see under meurig ap tewdrig). A few years later it was recorded that there was "great slaughter" at Adam's Grave, east of Devizes, and Ceawlin was "expelled". The records do not say whether this battle was against the British or (more likely) against fellow Saxons, as this was the period of the great influx of Mercian Angles. In the following year Ceawlin "perished", though the records do not say how. If he had died valiantly in battle the annals would have been only too keen to boast of the feet, so one must assume Ceawlin met a rather ignominious death. He was succeeded by Ceol.

Details of Ceawlin's family